Essex Outdoors Danbury | | | 13 July 2021 |
Kingswood Bembridge, Isle of Wight | | | 13 July 2021 |
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens | | Outstanding day out - talks were superb, lots of open areas to wander around, plenty of space, lots of available seating for eating. Superbly helpful staff. | 13 July 2021 |
Wilderness Expertise | | The assessors were brilliant and ensure students were safe at all times. | 13 July 2021 |
Wilderness Expertise | | Wilderness were great but some of the routes planned were far too long for a Bronze award. On day 1 some of the students were hiking for 9 hours, which is a Gold day. | 13 July 2021 |
Go Ape Alexandra Palace Continuous Belay Course | | | 13 July 2021 |
Hesley Wood Activity Centre | | Instructors were professional and the site was well maintained and clean. Activities were appropriate and all our children enjoyed the trip! | 13 July 2021 |
Longtown Outdoor Learning Trust | | Pupils had a fantastic time. A very well run event. | 13 July 2021 |
Flamingo Land Zoo | | Lots of the big rides were closed which made the ques very long on the ones that were open. | 13 July 2021 |
Blackpool Pleasure Beach Ltd | | The students really enjoyed the day. Only comment I have is that people smoke inside the park and while waiting to go on rides. | 13 July 2021 |
Drayton Manor Resort (Day Visits) | | The park was well set up and suitable for the age group that we took. Food outlets are expensive. | 13 July 2021 |
BXM Expeditions | | | 13 July 2021 |
Halsbury Travel Ltd | | Absolutely amazing, could not ask for better | 13 July 2021 |
Mill on the Brue | | Good activities; mixed ability instructors with varying levels of group management understanding and control | 13 July 2021 |
Banham Zoo | | Having been told that many enclosures were open (a day before the visit), many were in fact closed. Some enclosed spaces- (iguana and lemurs) were open, and some open air spaces (giraffe walk) was closed. I therefore assume this was not for Covid reasons. 4 schools were visiting that day and we had to avoid numerous gardening vehicles driving on the walkways. The website stated that morning that the Eureka exhibit was open, it was not! On arrival, I asked for confirmation that the bird display was showing at 11.30 and was told we could go at 11.30,12.30, or 2.30. On arrival at the arena at 11.30, the sign clearly stated shows at 12.30 or 2.30. Because of this, and the fact that the gates were shut, we assumed there was no show at 11.30. This was not the case- I had not been told that the show at 11.30 was for schools and was not advertised to the public. Thankfully they squeezed us in at 12.30. The children loved it though, so not all bad. | 12 July 2021 |
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust | | | 12 July 2021 |
Cuffley Active Learning Centre | | The residential to Bushcraft provided an unforgettable experience for the children. Food and dietary requirements were carefully managed. Children were adequately supervised when they took part in adventurous bushcraft activities. | 12 July 2021 |
RHS Garden Hyde Hall | | Great venue. The staff are really helpful. Children really enjoyed the day. | 12 July 2021 |
Wildwood Kent | | | 12 July 2021 |
Thorpe Park (Day Visits) | | Great day which students really enjoyed. | 12 July 2021 |
YHA Malham | | Accommodation, food etc. was suitable. A suitable place is available for teaching and suitable and safe areas available for field work within comfortable walking distance. Staff were very helpful. We have booked again for next year. | 12 July 2021 |
PGL Windmill Hill | | | 12 July 2021 |
National White Water Centre | | | 12 July 2021 |
Walesby Forest | | | 12 July 2021 |
Pleasurewood Hills Family Theme Park | | Great day out, the children enjoyed every minute | 12 July 2021 |
PGL Little Canada | | Absolutely amazing trip! | 12 July 2021 |
Kingswood Staffordshire | | | 12 July 2021 |
Kingswood Staffordshire | | | 12 July 2021 |
Kingswood Trust | | | 12 July 2021 |
Wilderness Expertise | | The Team at Wilderness were friendly and approachable, accommodating our last minute changes which enabled a fantastic trip to take place. Both boys and staff enjoyed the experience which we have been so keen to make happen after the disappointments of the past 18 months. | 12 July 2021 |
Hesketh Farm Park | | A fantastic school trip at Hesketh Farm with Reception children. The organisation was excellent, the staff were very friendly and the many farm activities were brilliant. The children and adult loved every moment of the trip and learnt so much about the animals and daily life on a farm. The children had lots of first time experiences and loved every second. Thank you for having us. | 12 July 2021 |
Kingswood West Runton | | | 12 July 2021 |
Science Museum | | Easy to access with group of pupils, staff helpful. Museum was fairly quiet so easy to social distance and for pupils to easily move about the museum. Picnic area was large to easy to accommodate a large number of pupils at lunch time. | 12 July 2021 |
Yorkshire Wildlife Park | | An excellent experience for all ages. | 12 July 2021 |
Grafham Water Centre | | There were a few issues related to food - catering staff on the first night were agency staff and not enough fish finger meals were provided, meaning some children and all staff had to eat the left over vegetarian option. Feedback given to GWC directly. | 12 July 2021 |
Peak District National Park Authority | | | 12 July 2021 |
British Cycling | | | 12 July 2021 |
Far Ings National Nature Reserve | | Far Ings is an excellent resource on our doorstep and as ever we were made to feel very welcome despite all the COVID restrictions. The programme of activities was very professionally run and met all the outcomes we were after. | 12 July 2021 |
Pleasurewood Hills Family Theme Park | | | 12 July 2021 |
Lickey Hills Country Park | | | 12 July 2021 |
Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre | | Great facilities, perfect accommodation. Shame that covid restrictions limited some activities - would have been good to know before we went. | 12 July 2021 |
Paultons Park Education Team | | Really helpful in terms of using gift cards for cashless paying. Great communication and interactions with the students also. | 12 July 2021 |
North of England Zoological Society - Chester Zoo | | | 12 July 2021 |
Skreens Park Activity Centre | | Good range of activities on offer. Comfortable sleeping facilities and good toilets/showers. | 12 July 2021 |
Kingsbury Water Park Outdoor Education Centre | | Pupils enjoyed it. Liked being outdoors and out of school. | 12 July 2021 |
Peak Activity Services - Astbury Water Sports Centre | | | 12 July 2021 |
Essex Outdoors Danbury | | Staff, activities, organisation and catering were all good. Everything was covid safe. | 12 July 2021 |
PGL Osmington Bay | | | 12 July 2021 |
PGL Osmington Bay | | | 12 July 2021 |
Banham Zoo | | A wonderful day and very accommodating for a child with SEND. | 12 July 2021 |
Robinwood Activity Centre - Dobroyd Castle | | Amazing trip. Excellent organisation-ran like clockwork
| 12 July 2021 |
Hertfordshire Zoo | | A great day out. The park is a perfect size for primary age children. Great to be outdoors, though we were lucky with the weather. Lots to see and do. | 11 July 2021 |
RNLI Henry Blogg Museum | | Very interesting and suitable for the age range | 11 July 2021 |
Whitwell Hall Country Centre | | | 11 July 2021 |
Eaton Vale Scout & Guide Activity Centre | | | 11 July 2021 |
Cedar Gables Campsite | | Good location for hiking routes however denied access to the showers as a 'D of E' group. | 11 July 2021 |
Altitude Events | | Covid safe and very helpful. I would definitely recommend them again. | 11 July 2021 |
Eaton Vale Scout & Guide Activity Centre | | Activities were well thought out and planned. Safety was paramount at all times. Instructors were great with the children. Fantastic visit. | 11 July 2021 |
PGL Bawdsey Manor | | Bawdsey Manor is a lovely site which we have visited before. Some of the instructors were excellent and the staff were very helpful about accommodating our needs eg diabetic child who needed to have food accurately weighed and had to eat at certain times.
Our group leader was good but there was only one of him! Whenever we have been before (every year for at least the last 6 years) we have had two group leaders with our group of 60ish year 6 children. One was not really enough especially as due to COVID, he had to do things which leaders haven't done in the past such as wipe down all the tables after meals. The other change we noticed was that the size of activity groups has increased from 12 to 15 children. For some activities, it was hard to get 15 children to all have a proper go and it meant more waiting around for everyone. I can only assume these changes have been brought in to cut costs but the result is a poorer experience for everyone. The leaders and instructors themselves thought the bigger groups generally had a negative impact on the quality of the experience for the children. Another issue worth a mention is that when I visited the site prior to the trip, I was told that the internet was good all over the site. This was not the case at all and this mattered a great deal to us since the diabetic child we took has a sensor which conveys data about blood glucose levels to his and other phones. In the accommodation block (Heron House) reception was very patchy and so we had to wake up the child through the night for finger prick tests instead of relying on the sensor. This meant sleepless nights for the child and staff responsible for him and was annoying since we had been told reception was good.
| 11 July 2021 |
Cuffley Active Learning Centre | | Friendly and well trained staff
Good communication
safe environment | 11 July 2021 |
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | | | 11 July 2021 |
Austerfield Study Centre Limited | | Well organised trip. The centre used local pub for food. | 11 July 2021 |
Nick Thorn | | Children, year 6 had a great days surfing . They all felt really proud after there days surfing very happy ,tired children! | 10 July 2021 |
Essex Outdoors Mersea | | Exceptional experience for all involved. Children developed their resilience, team building skills and communication skills as well as developing independence being away from their families. Would highly recommend Essex Outdoors Mersea. Our pupils always love the experience and come home equipped with further skills. | 10 July 2021 |
Whitlingham Adventure | | Excellent day out, objectives were achieved and the children absolutely loved it! | 10 July 2021 |
Whitlingham Adventure | | Excellent day out, objectives were achieved and the children absolutely loved it! | 10 July 2021 |
Hautbois | | Excellent organisation, good accommodation, great activity leaders. An excellent venue for a residential. | 10 July 2021 |
Sayers Croft Outdoor Learning Centre | | There are opportunities for such a wide range of activities at Sayers Croft, which fit in with topic work but also provide huge opportunities for SMEH development.
Covid security was taken seriously. | 10 July 2021 |
Go Ape Normanby Hall Continuous Belay Course | | The actual course, safety and level of challenge were all very good, but on this occasion, Go Ape organisation was poor, including not having sufficient harnesses for our children, so climbs were delayed. | 10 July 2021 |
Kingswood Trust | | | 10 July 2021 |
Bibby's Farm Scout Activity Centre | | Fantastic site, brilliant staff who are welcoming and supportive. | 09 July 2021 |
Go Ape Leeds Castle Continuous Belay Course | | Very successful trip and an excellent way to round off a productive week. Staff were exceptionally welcoming and helpful and the pupils were fully engaged in all of the activities. | 09 July 2021 |
Go Ape Alice Holt Continuous Belay Course | | | 09 July 2021 |
Thornton Hall Farm Country Park | | Excellent organisation within Covid guidelines, easy and efficient booking process. | 09 July 2021 |
Andrew Simpson Centre Portland | | The Andrew Simpson Centre is a wonderful sailing club that made sure that all students we safe and comfortable when taking part in all activities. The staff were friendly and accommodating and the club is able to provide the majority of equipment needed. The children only require, swimsuits, towels and closed-toe shoes. We would recommend that children bring an extra pair of shoes. One pair to go sailing in (as they become quite wet) and another pair for travel. We have learnt our lesson! | 09 July 2021 |
Hautbois | | | 09 July 2021 |
Essex Wildlife Trust Abberton Reservoir Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre | | A wonderful day where the children were able to put their knowledge of plants to the test. Children gained a deeper understanding of the different functions of a flower as well as the pollination process and seed dispersal. | 09 July 2021 |
Goodwood Motor Circuit | | | 09 July 2021 |
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens | | | 09 July 2021 |
West Midlands Safari Park (WMSP) | | | 09 July 2021 |
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | | | 09 July 2021 |
Bradfield College Sports Complex | | | 09 July 2021 |
PGL Osmington Bay | | PGL is a fantatsic provider for residentials. However we did find that due to the covid restrictions in place they could not cope with the capacity of groups on site. | 09 July 2021 |
Field Studies Council - Blencathra | | Toileting facilities were not adequate at this point for 60 plus children having to wash hands etc. | 09 July 2021 |
Holkham Enterprises | | | 09 July 2021 |
Holkham Enterprises | | | 09 July 2021 |
Holkham Enterprises | | Very organised event and children had an amazing time. Woodland Will was fabulous. | 09 July 2021 |
East Barnby Outdoor Education Centre | | | 09 July 2021 |
Hautbois | | A good day, although adaptations required for our disabled student were not in place as requested. | 09 July 2021 |
Mountain Monkeys Ltd | | | 09 July 2021 |
Yorkshire Wildlife Park | | | 09 July 2021 |
Sandwell Valley Country Park | | | 09 July 2021 |
Marwell Wildlife | | | 09 July 2021 |
Go Ape Bracknell Continuous Belay Course | | The children really enjoyed the high ropes, but not the Outdoor Escape Room which wasn't very challenging for their age group (Y6) - the team games which we had done previously where much better. | 09 July 2021 |
Thorpe Park | | Staff very helpful but could have had more staff on at these peak times for school trips so it would have facilitated less queueing at the entrance. Students were able to access most of the rides and all of the facilities they would have required. | 09 July 2021 |
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | | Very well organised with a briefing online beforehand and lots of support on the day. | 09 July 2021 |
Go Ape Battersea Continuous Belay Course | | | 09 July 2021 |
Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre | | | 09 July 2021 |
Kirkstall Leisure Centre | | The staff are experienced and professional - the children enjoy their lessons with them and learn a lot. The facilities are good and the environment feels very safe. | 08 July 2021 |
Colchester Zoo | | | 08 July 2021 |